For the fourth time this season, the Tennessee men's basketball team lost a double-digit lead and the game.
This time, Saturday night, it was No. 17 Alabama that rallied from 13 down with less than 12 minutes to play to pull out a 71-69 win over the No. 22 Volunteers (20-9, 10-6 in Southeastern Conference).
This one hurt a little more because freshman phenom Nate Ament left the game with a lower body injury with 7:42 left in the first half. He tried to play in the second half, but lasted less than 3 minutes before retiring for the night.
Afterward, coach Rick Barnes had no update on his injury, saying it involved the right knee and ankle. Ament injured his ankle last Tuesday against Missouri.
Senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie had 26 points, 7 assists and 8 steals to lead Tennessee.
Labaron Philon hit a jumper with 22.8 seconds left to give the Crimson Tide a 71-69. Tennessee had three shots from within five feet in the final seconds, but nothing fell and time expires.
J.P. Estrella finished with 12 points and six rebounds, while junior forward Jaylen Carey had 10 points and a co-game-high nine rebounds.